Network Monitoring Software: What It Is and Why to Use It

Networking devices, such as routers and servers, play integral roles in critical business operations. For this reason, organizations must constantly monitor their networks to identify and fix potential bottlenecks.

Network monitoring software proves crucial in this regard, as it can effectively oversee network-connected devices, collect performance data, expedite troubleshooting procedures, and more. 

Discover below how network monitoring software helps organizations monitor and maintain their networks efficiently.

What is network monitoring software?

Network monitoring software enables you to assess a computer network's health and dependability continuously. It works across various network setups, including in-person sites, data centers, and cloud-managed or hybrid environments, checking for problematic network parts and resource strains. This includes identifying issues like servers maxing out their CPUs or sudden spikes in network usage. A crucial feature of network monitoring software is its ability to alert network administrators to performance issues as they arise swiftly.

Other functions of network monitoring software are creating network maps—visual tools to see the devices on the network and how they work together—and generating reports that review the network’s performance and determine whether it is meeting expectations.

Types of network monitoring software 

The following list outlines the three main categories of network monitoring tools: simple network management protocol-based (SNMP), flow-based, and active network monitoring software.

1. SNMP-based network monitoring software

An SNMP-based tool relies on the simple network management protocol (SNMP) inherent in IP networks to interact with network hardware and track real-time resource metrics, including CPU usage, memory consumption, data transmission, and more. 

2. Flow-based network monitoring software

Flow-based network monitoring software, or passive monitoring software, can analyze and record actual user data, known as traffic flow, to gather summarized statistics about the protocols and users utilizing a network’s capacity. Additionally, flow-based tools can investigate a specific sequence of packets to identify performance issues that may occur when two IP addresses communicate with each other.  

3. Active network monitoring software

Active network monitoring software entails injecting data packets into the network to evaluate end-to-end reachability, round-trip time, packet loss, and bandwidth, among other network properties. It also tests applications from a user's perspective by executing real transactions and measuring their performance, including execution and response time.

Did you know? Many organizations implement network monitoring from a network operations center (NOC), which discreetly observes network devices and dependencies—all without the knowledge of end users.

What is network monitoring software used for?

You can use network monitoring software in several capacities. Below are a few common ways to use network monitoring software:

• Data centers: Network administrators can leverage network monitoring to gather live data from their data centers and establish notifications for events like device failures, temperature surges, and network capacity overload.

• Containerized applications: Containers facilitate cross-platform application packaging and delivery. Network monitoring can help ensure seamless communication among components of a containerized application.

• Cloud: Network monitoring can offer insights into cloud network expenses by decoding network parameters, such as inter-regional traffic. The software also can help facilitate communication among cloud dependencies. 

Benefits of networking monitoring software 

The advantages of implementing network monitoring software in a business setting include:

• Enhanced network transparency: Network monitoring provides a comprehensive view of all connected devices, data flow, and anomalies.

• Optimized utilization of IT resources: Network monitoring software automates various network monitoring, analysis, and reporting tasks. This streamlines the workload for internal IT teams, enabling them to concentrate on mission-critical projects.

• Analysis of performance goals: Network monitoring reports provide performance insights, combining historical and real-time data pertinent to all network components. Businesses can analyze these reports to anticipate when IT infrastructure upgrades may be necessary.

• Early threat detection: Performance irregularities can serve as alerts, enabling security teams to identify network vulnerabilities and respond promptly to data breaches. 

Did you know? Law enforcement agencies use network monitoring tools to protect sensitive systems and databases, ensuring compliance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy. 

Disadvantages of network monitoring software

Though network monitoring software has plenty of benefits, it also has disadvantages. Here are some cons of using network monitoring software:

• Performance: Since network monitoring software requires a lot of bandwidth to operate, it is important to understand your company’s bandwidth and if you have enough to run the software. 

• Connectivity: Depending on if you have in-house or cloud-based network monitoring software, you may have connectivity issues with the network. Cloud-based monitoring solutions have less straightforward connectivity, impacting your network’s monitoring accuracy.

• Cost: Your company should budget accordingly, as setting up network monitoring software for your business can be expensive, including the cost of training and maintenance. 

Best types of network monitoring software systems

The following are a few prominent network monitoring software systems to consider as you decide what network monitoring software might be right for you:

1. LogicMonitor: A cloud and software-as-a-service-based (SaaS) monitoring tool, LogicMonitor lets you customize and automate alert thresholds, escalation chains, and workflows. Compatible with any device and any network, this tool also offers a centralized platform to assess the performance of your entire network infrastructure. 

2. Datadog: Datadog Network Performance Monitoring delivers comprehensive visibility into all components of your on-premise sites and cloud and hybrid environments. The tool also evaluates system-wide domain name system (DNS) performance without requiring access to individual machines through a secure shell (SSH).

3. Auvik: A cloud-based network monitoring and management software, Auvik features continuously updating real-time maps for true network visibility and control. The interactive map interface allows you to view multiple sites or delve into specific devices easily.

4. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer: The SolarWinds NetFlow traffic analyzer comes packed with vital network monitoring features, such as bandwidth monitoring, application traffic alerting, network traffic analysis, support for VMware vSphere distributed switches, a performance analysis dashboard, and advanced application recognition.

5. Azure Network Watcher: The Azure Network Watcher offers a range of tools for monitoring, tracking metrics, and managing logs for Azure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) resources. Network Watcher also provides a set of seven network diagnostic tools designed to assist in troubleshooting and diagnosing various network problems, including IP flow verification, next hop, packet capture, and VPN troubleshooting. 

Network monitoring vs. network management

Although network monitoring and network management tools share similarities, they exhibit distinct functional differences. Network monitoring software prioritizes unremitting network analysis, a historical view of network health, data collection, and performance measurements. In contrast, network management software emphasizes comprehending the devices and users within a network, using tools to control and coordinate network activities. When paired, the tools can offer granular insights into resource usage and performance. 

Read more: What Does a Network Operations Engineer Do?

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Network monitoring software tracks data to monitor the health of a computer network and its various components. By ensuring resources aren’t overwhelmed and devices function correctly, network monitoring software helps maintain a network's performance.

Understand the finer nuances of networking with The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking course, available on Coursera. Part of the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, this course addresses various subjects, from the core principles of contemporary networking technologies and protocols to an overview of the cloud. This 27-hour course, designed for beginners, also includes guidance on network troubleshooting.